A nostalgia-infused menu showcases poignant childhood memories, Paddington Bear and nan's cooking for chef Robbie Lorraine
From sell-out street food and a successful supper club to a refined restaurant above an old London boozer, not forgetting two appearances on Great British Menu, chef Robbie Lorraine has certainly been on quite the journey over the last few years. But his love for cooking first began after spending his youth with his nan in the kitchen.
"I remember very clearly one Sunday making rock cakes with her and she suggested I take them to school to give to my friends. But me being me, I sold them for 50p each," says the London born-and-bred chef. "I really enjoyed creating something, the pleasure it gave everyone, and the chance to make a few quid."
Decades later and he's an acclaimed chef and owner of Only Food And Courses, which started out as an 18-month residency at Pop Brixton and was relaunched as a permanent site above the Cheshire Cheese pub off the Strand in London late last year.
It's his memories of growing up in the 1980s and 1990s that influence his food, which he describes as "modern British with a touch of nostalgia and a sense of fun and playfulness". "When I think back to when I was happy as a kid, food was the driver, whether it was the platter of chocolate eclairs from M&S my mum would put out for guests or the smell of donuts on a trip to the seaside," he says.
This distinctive smell was the inspiration behind one of Lorraine's most famous snacks – the lobster doughnut – which has followed him around his various kitchen adventures, even making an appearance on the menu at Boys Hall in Ashford, Kent, where he headed up the stoves last year prior to launching his six-course tasting menu at the Cheshire Cheese.
To make the dish, a savoury brioche dough creates an aerated and light doughnut with an "undertone of yeastiness", that is deep-fried and filled with lobster tail and claw, poached in an aromatic bouillon and combined with crème fraîche, chive, dill and lemon zest. Beetroot powder is sprinkled over the top, which gives the snack both an earthiness and sweetness, as well as providing a splash of colour which has almost become Lorraine's trademark. "You first and foremost eat with your eyes."
Orange, yellow, green and purple burst off the plate in his ‘Fancy a Little Smackerel?', which he first made on Great British Menu earlier this year, where the theme was British animation and illustration. This led Lorraine to the tale of Winnie the Pooh and the carrots grown by his friend Rabbit. A carrot is baked in a salt and hay dough and, once broken from its crust and split in half, is glazed with carrot juice, star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds and a little agar, which makes the star of the vegan plate "shine beautifully". He pickles yellow and purple heritage carrots and the dish is served with a spiced carrot samosa and a carrot semifreddo-style lollypop for freshness.
Another childhood story makes an appearance in his main course of ‘Darkest Peru'. "My mum always used to read Paddington to me and I always wondered what it was like in Peru, so for this dish I looked to champion Peruvian spices with British produce."
A spice mix of black pepper, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, lime, dried pepper and smoked paprika is rubbed into canons of Dexter beef before being cooked on the barbecue to create "gnarly crusts and depth of flavour", while the same mix is used to flavour a pepper, which he dehydrates for 24 hours until dry and crispy. A Peruvian green sauce of aji verde is for dipping both the pepper and the accompanying beetroot and quinoa croquettes.
And you simply "can't have Paddington without a marmalade sandwich", says Lorraine, who folds the bitter orange preserve through flakes of shortrib before pressing between two flat trays. He sandwiches the meat between two rolled out pieces of white bread before cutting into finger-sized pieces and pan frying in rendered beef dripping.
As we head into summer, Lorraine plans to play with nostalgic flavours including Parma Violet and corned beef hash, as well as a refined version of jellied eels. And while his restaurant's inspiration comes from the past, that doesn't stop Lorraine dreaming of the future, with plans for a neighbourhood restaurant in the works. Big ambitions from the kid selling his bakes in the playground.
From the menu
Confit Duck Eclair!!!
‘Scampi & Chips': poached langoustine tails coated with amaranth and pork skin crumb served with chickpea chips, malt vinegar pearls, dill oil and saffron emulsion
‘Lamb Stew': roasted rump of lamb, pressed breast of lamb, pearl barley, carrot purée, smoked Jerusalem artichokes and red currant sauce
‘Apple Martini': Granny Smith apple sorbet, crushed nocerella olives and toasted sunflower seeds
‘This Time Next Year We'll Be Millionaires': hazelnut shortbread topped with milk chocolate mousse, coated in luxurious dark chocolate served with malt ice-cream
Only Food And Courses, 5 Little Essex Street, London WC2R 3LD
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